5 reasons why New Zealand can whitewash England in the Test series

England’s struggle in Australia did not come as a surprise to many but the 4-0 scoreline proved that the team had declined immeasurably from the heady days of their series win in South Africa back in 2015.

The team has deteriorated at an alarming rate over that period and although they have done relatively well at home, they have been mauled on overseas trips plenty of times.

So, it is fair to wonder if New Zealand can actually hand the visiting England team a whitewash in the two-Test series that started on Thursday. Considering the fact that they were all out for a meagre 58 on the opening of the 1st Test at Auckland, a whitewash looks like a distinct possibility.

Here are the five primary reasons why New Zealand might end up humiliating England in this series with a whitewash.

#5 New Zealand’s impeccable record at home

Over the past few seasons, New Zealand has been one of the best teams at home as far as Test cricket is concerned. They might have lost the last two series at home to South Africa and Australia, but overall their record has been exemplary.

Since December 2014, they whitewashed 5 opponents on the trot, winning the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka (twice), Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.

What is important to note in this regard is that New Zealand have a history of blanking teams at home and considering the current state of the English team, it won’t be the biggest shock in the world if they deliver a whitewash yet again.

#4 England’s wobbly top order

Mark Stoneman beaten all ends up in the recent Ashes series

Gone are the days when England had one of the best Test batting line-ups in the world.

The exodus of players like Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen has left a gaping hole in the middle-order, while the inability to find an adequate partner for Alastair Cook has not helped matters either. Only Cook and Joe Root can be regarded as truly world-class players.

Other than that, the top 4 consists of Dawid Malan and opener Mark Stoneman. Those are players who are still trying to find their feet in international cricket. So, as one can see, the wickets of Root and Cook, can often lead to a dearth of quality batsmanship.

Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes can all contribute but such a shallow top 4 can spell trouble for England on this tour.

#3 New Zealand drew 1-1 in England

The two opposing captains - Alastair Cook and Brendon McCullum ahead of the 2015 series.

Back in 2015, ahead of the Ashes, England played New Zealand in a two-match Test series and it produced some riveting cricket, as the visitors stormed back at Leeds to square the series 1-1. In fact, it could have been a much more memorable series had it been longer.

However, the point remains that New Zealand gave an excellent account of themselves with largely the same team and with a few exceptions, England had the same team as well.

So, it is only natural to expect that New Zealand will dominate the visitors, now that they have got England in their own den.

A 2-0 whitewash is not going to be the most surprising result in the world.

#2 New Zealand’s diverse fast bowling attack

Trent Boult and Tim Southee

The Kiwi fast bowling attack might not often be feted as one of the best in the world but it is right up there with some of the other great fast bowling attacks plying their trade at the moment in Test cricket.

The most important thing about their fast bowling trio is the sort of variety that is on offer.

Left-arm pacer Trent Boul is one of the top bowlers in the world and can swing the ball at serious pace, which can even trouble the best batsmen in the world.

His partner Tim Southee, on the other hand, is an extremely disciplined and accurate fast bowler, who can swing the ball either way. The right-arm fast bowler can also extract seam movement if there is any.

Now, once a batting line-up weathers the early storm, they are then faced with the battering ram approach of left-arm quick Neil Wagner. His regular delivery is the delivery that is either short or just short of a good length and is aimed between the head and rib cage of the right-handed batsman.

Wagner can be an extremely awkward bowler to face and facing the three bowlers together can be an exasperating experience for most batting line-ups.

England’s rather thin batting line-up are expected to find the going tough and considering the fact that it is almost always the bowling attack that wins Test matches, New Zealand’s superb trio might just have the final say.

#1 It is a relatively short series

New Zealand v England 1st Test: Day 1

It is extremely difficult to deliver a whitewash to a side if it is a 4 or 5-match Test series. Even one of those games could end in a draw. For instance, Australia was 3-0 up after 3 Tests in the Ashes in 2017-18 and had it been a 3 Test series, then they would have delivered a whitewash.

However, the 4th Test at Melbourne turned out to be a damp squib since the pitch was a notoriously placid one and the batsmen made merry as the game ended in a draw. The pitch was later reported for being too batsman-friendly.

That is why the brevity of the 2018 New Zealand-England series is such a huge factor. The fact that the hosts are already looking good to take a 1-0 lead, it is not entirely inconceivable that they would put one across England in the 2nd Test as well before the visitors can get their bearings.